The clanking of metal armour, weaponry and monstrous creatures grew ever closer.

“We’re doomed,” wailed the soldiers.

 

“We can still fight,” said a soldier, he had an eyepatch and spiky hair. “Snap out of it!”

 

The soldiers didn’t respond.

 

“Those of you who still have the guts to fight stand behind me!” Commanded the eyepatched soldier. Garn got to his feet and went over to the soldier.

 

“What are you doing?” asked one of the twins. “We need to run away!”

 

Garn ignored them. The twin pleaded with him further but it was to no avail.

 

“Leave him be Jasper!” shouted the other twin. “We need to go.”

 

Jasper turned around. “Casper, I’m staying here, I can’t leave him,”

 

“What . . . we can’t win against them, it’s an entire army of monsters,” Casper’s face was shocked.

Casper’s face contorted in the turmoil of emotions he was facing.

“Goddamit it! I guess I’m staying too,” he burst out in a frustrated voice.

 

Casper turned to the raven haired boy who was walking away. “Liebert what are you going to do,” Liebert was shaking. “I’m going to get the hell out of here,” His voice was full of fear. “You have all gone insane, our best option is to run away from them. We’ve known each other for a long time but its not my fault if you all have a death wish.”

 

Liebert turned back around and ran breathlessly in the opposite direction many soldiers joined him.

 

The eyepatched soldier went to them.

 

“Those of you will still fight come here, we must march on,”

 

I walked over to their surprise. Even though I had been mistreated I couldn’t bring myself to dislike. I couldn’t fathom the pressure he was constantly under. Gilgamesh he was only trying to do the best for the people around him.

 

“Otherworlder it seems I underestimated you,” said the eyepatched soldier. “ I apologise for any trouble I may have caused you,”

 

I shrugged my shoulders.

 

“We’ll join as well,” said a band of soldiers. They marched over.

 

We faced the army of monsters. From where we were one could not see where the horde ended.

 

“We must rescue Gilgamesh, he is the figurehead of our defiant spirits, and we need his leadership.” The eyepatched soldier pointed his spear at the castle.

“Our mission is to make it to the castle and save him from the clutches of that fearsome demon, we must fight our way through to the castle past all the monsters, we must infiltrate the castle and get Gilgamesh, that is the only objective of the infiltration avoid fighting at all costs.” he said speaking slowly and certain. It made one believe that the odds were in our favour, as if we could actually win, or rather as if we could take on the world.

 

“ We may not be able to stop the entire army but if Gilgamesh survives we may one day be strong enough to defeat them.”

 

“We have the fate of an entire kingdom on our backs,” said the eyepatched soldier raising his voice. “This is our last stand, we are most probably marching to our graves but better death a hero than death as a coward!” He roared. The soldiers cheered their voices raw tears rolling down several of their faces.

 

We charged forward in an arrow formation with the eyepatched soldier at its lead and center. The first round of monsters washed over us, it threatened to tear us apart from each other but our formation never broke. I sliced through a massive boa constrictor, rolls of guts squished against the ground.

 

“Don’t fight them, keep on pushing we have to keep moving!” shouted the eyepatched soldier over the chaos.

 

“Garn, Casper, Jasper, Sebastian go ahead! We’ll clear a path!” shouted the eyepatched soldier.

 

“What!” protested Garn, “Why the Otherworlder!”

 

“Just do it, you all are our best hope!” snapped the grizzled soldier. “Out of all of us, you’re all the least injured.”

 

Garn gave a frustrated cry. “Fine, fine!”

 

“Good,” said the soldier.

 

“On me!” he shouted. He fired a blast of ice in the direction of the castle.

 

“Now!” he roared.

 

They fired a blast in unison that pierced through the frozen monster statues. It cleared a path straight underneath the castle. We ran full tilt toward it, hoping over shattered monster guts, half-sliding on the slick surfaces. We ignored the danger to either side of us.

 

When we were only slightly under it. The twins shouted. “Here!”

 

They had their hands clasped together. We nodded. Garn jumped on their clasped hands and was catapulted high into the air and onto the castle. I picked them up with my mana threads onto the castle. The front door were tall and wide.

 

Garn had his sword wedged in the crack of the door and tried to pry it open.

There was an insignia to the side of a crudely etched helmet and spear.

 

“Maybe we need some type of key or token to open it!”

 

I turned back to the edge of the castle. “I saw the same symbol on some of the monsters, One of the monsters is bound to have it!” I ran to the end. “I’ll be back soon!” I said diving over the edge. I landed solidly on the head of a humanoid wolf creature. Its neck snapped violently and its body collapsed. Its head jingled on the ground.

 

“What are you doing here Otherworlder!” I turned to see the eyepatched soldier near me while swaying his sword to keep the frothing and growling monsters at bay.

 

“We need a key or something, the door won’t open!”

 

“I heard of some ancient structures requiring this technology,” said the eyepatched soldier.

 

I looked around scanning the armoured monsters for pendants or rings. It was to no avail, many bore weapons of various kinds and heavy armour but nothing else.

 

A massive monkey with canines half the length of its face broke through the soldier’s defences. The soldier ducked and slashed at its neck. Its fur around the slash reddened.

 

“Too shallow,” muttered the soldier.

 

In an attempt I looked at wolf creature I had killed in my landing. Around its neck was a band in which a small hexagonal rod was attached.

 

“I found it!” I shouted.

 

I squatted low contracting my muscles to an infinitely dense point. I leapt into the air above. I wasn’t going to make it all the way to the castle. I extended mana strings to the bottom of the castle to prevent me from falling back down.

 

I glanced back.

 

The eyepatched soldier was still figthting that monster. Its furry tail was slowly moving behind the soldier.

 

“The tail!” I shouted. It was too late. THe tail wrapped around the soldier. His sword clattered to the ground.

 

I shot threads through my other hand spiralling downwards. They wrapped around the soldier. I yanked on it. The monkey had quite a grip on him. I didn’t have time to be gentle.

 

I pulled more ferociously and the soldier came free from its grasp.

 

I climbed my way up by shortening the mana threads.

I layed him down at the edge of the castle.

They ran towards us when I made it back. I tossed the key towards Garn.

 

“Thank you for saving me,” said the soldier coughing.

 

I looked him over for injuries. The tail had dented some of his armour using sheer force alone.

 

I gasped when I saw his legs.

I clenched my fists.

“I’m sorry, if only I was stronger,”

 

“Its not your fault” said the soldier. “It’s better than dying there,”

 

His leg was a bloodied mess from the bottom of his knees.

 

I felt my vision blur.

 

“My recovery magic isn’t advanced enough to heal someone else of such serious injuries,” I said.

 

I thought I had no tears to shed for anyone in this world. I had been mistreated ever since I came here yet here I was crying over someone I had just met.

 

“I wonder if I did the right thing,” said the eyepatched soldier.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked.

 

“You noticed something weird to didn’t you,” said the soldier coughing up blood. “The amount of monsters, this floating castle. I didn’t want to tell anyone because they might have been too afraid to come here. The demon in the castle, its one of the four generals of the demon King,”

 

“A demon general!” I exclaimed. That would explain its monstrous aura.

 

I shook the thought away. It doesn’t change my situation much.

 

“I have one last thing to say,” said the soldier.

 

“I want to sincely apologize for everything, it wasn’t your choice to be brought to this brutish and archaic world. I’m sorry,”

 

For a second I forgot about the waging war around me.

 

“I’m sorry for all the harm we have caused you. We’re supposed to be the strength and power of the powerless. Symbols of justice yet we have done nothing but harm you. I’m sorry”

 

“You don’t have to apologize I insisted,”

 

The massive doors of the castle began moving open.

 

“Otherworlder, we need to go in!” shouted Garn.

 

I began dragging the soldier back.

 

“Leave me, I’ll just be a burden to you,”

 

“I’m not leaving you,” I insisted.

 

The eyepatched soldier pulled at my hand.

 

“Please, honor a dying man’s wish,”

 

“Come on Otherworlder!” shouted Garn. “We can’t expect there to be no casualties,”

 

I cried out in frustration.

 

“I’m coming back for you!” I shouted letting go of him.

 

Tears fell from my eyes as I ran through the gates. The doors shut behind me with a boom, sealing us within the castle. It felt disturbingly like we were in a cage, a cage were we were rats locked together with a cat.